I have tried to make steel-cut oats in the slow cooker before. I’ve been a bit nervous ever since I had to take a chisel to my slow cooker from the last disaster. But this slow cooker pumpkin pie steel cut oats recipe sent in from Brooke worked perfectly!
You will need a slow cooker with a timer and a warming feature to make this recipe. I use theFrigidaire Professional 7-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker (Amazon link) – but any slow cooker with a low and warm setting should work. I cooked them for a total of 7 hours – three hours on low and four hours on warm.
What are steel-cut oats? Steel-cut oats are whole grain groats – the inner portion of the oat kernel. They are also called Irish Oats or Pinhead Oats. They take longer to cook than traditional oatmeal and have a nuttier flavor and are usually more chewy than other oats. A little bit goes a long way and they are very hearty.
- 2 cup steel-cut oats – Try to buy in bulk.
- 1 can pumpkin puree – I used my homemade pumpkin puree!
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups milk – I used one cup skim milk and one cup half and half, since it was in the fridge and needed to be used
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- Optional toppings: brown sugar, maple syrup, chopped pecan, butter, crushed graham crackers, raisins, dried cranberries.
- In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients and set to low heat.
- Cover and before going to bed, let cook on low for three (3) hours.
- Slow cooker will keep it warm until morning (mine automatically turns to warm for four hours) and the oats should continue to cook (but not burn) all night.
- Add your favorite toppings – brown sugar, maple syrup, chopped pecan, butter, crushed graham crackers, raisins, dried cranberries. The basic recipe is an amazing base, but if you want some dynamic flavors you’ll want to add at least some brown sugar.
The oats were perfect after 7 hours – 3 hours on low and 4 hours on warm. But would probably be fine after 8 or 9 hours, if you’re lucky enough to get that much sleep. If you’re nervous about burning them, you can do what I did – cook the first batch during the day so you can monitor it’s progress and get an idea of how well cooked they are after seven or eight hours.
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